God The Gardener

God The Gardener Psalm 92: 12-15; John 15:1-4 As the excitement and realness of receiving my first appointment here at Rocky Springs began to sink in, I began to think about this church’s name and how perfectly it describes life. Now I’m not very familiar with the church’s history. I don’t know if it’s named after a “rocky spring” nearby. But what I do know is that every Christian and every church will have its rocky moments and it’s calm. We may face rocky moments in life, but remember, God is good at rolling away stones. God is good at making water come outta rocks. And where there’s water, there’s growth. God will use both the hard times and the good so that we can grow strong in Him. I once read a story by a man named Philip Gulley, who taught about growing roots. Mr. Gulley taught that if we want to grow into a strong cedar tree like today’s Scripture says, we must be willing to be pruned by the Gardener, which John 15:1 says is God the Father. Mr. Gulley tells of how when he was a child, he had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. Dr. Gibbs didn’t resemble a doctor. Always dressed in overalls and an old wore out straw hat atop his head, he loved planting trees. When he wasn’t helping the sick, you could find him at home, working tirelessly at turning his 10-acre property into a lush forest. He came from the “No Pain, No Gain” school of gardening. Why? Because he never watered his trees. One day curiosity was too much for Philip, so he asked Dr. Gibbs why he never gave his trees any water. He said, “Watering plants spoil’s them, and how if you water them, each successive generation will grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out the weenie trees early on.” He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. So Dr. Gibbs never watered his trees. Each morning he would go outside, and instead of water, he’d hit each tree with a rolled-up newspaper! Which he said was to get the tree's attention. Dr. Gibbs went to heaven, and now, more than 25 years have passed since he last walked through his garden. But you outta see the size of those trees! Big and robust, those trees wake up each morning, beat their chest, and drink their coffee black. Now I’ve done my fair share of gardening too, and I can also tell you that spoiling my plants only resulted in time wasted. As soon as a hot day summer day would come, they’d burn up. If a cold wind came at night, by morning they’d be brown and shriveled. But the interesting fact we learn about from Dr. Gibb’s trees is that adversity benefited them. What a thought! Adversity resulting in growth. Life may become rocky, but streams of living water are flowing through Christ for all who thirst. Jesus isn’t interested in short-term, over-watered shallow faith, but faith firmly rooted, always thirsting for more of Christ. The more a tree grows, the more water it needs to stay hydrated. As you grow in Christ, your thirst should increase, and your roots should deepen in search for that biblical nourishment. I stand here today and think about the people who make up the church. As a pastor and a parent, I don’t want to see my family or anybody go through hard times. But I know all of us eventually will if we haven’t already. It seems that hardship is unavoidable. There will always be hot days and frigid winds. Life is not always easy. So instead of praying to spare people from trials, it’s my prayer that you grow deeper roots. And the deeper you’re rooted in God, the more nourishment you’ll have for those dry days. The deeper your roots, the stronger you’ll be when an unexpected gust of wind comes. Now all of us won’t have the same root levels. Some roots will be deeper than others. And that’s ok! That’s what Bible study, prayer, and fellowship are for. The more time you spend with God and read His Word, the deeper your roots become. If we see someone hurting, our fellowship surrounds them with the strength to weather any storm. Colossians 2:7 teaches us that to grow as a Christian, we are to be “rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Whether your roots are shallow or strong right now, be thankful that God is your Gardener, and keep allowing Him to deepen your faith. When your roots grow deeper in faith, Psalm 92:12 tells us, “You’ll flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar of Lebanon,” as today’s Scripture says. But of all trees why a cedar and a palm tree? Well, a palm tree is notorious for its long life. To flourish like a palm tree is to live long and stand tall. Now the righteous may not always live long upon the earth, but the righteous do inherit eternal life. And whether on earth or in heaven, they stand tall. Psalm 92:12 also teaches how believers rooted in Christ will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. The cedar trees of Lebanon are famously known for their size. Like the giant Redwood and Sequoia trees in the western United States, the cedars of Lebanon can reach over 100 feet tall and grow an amazing 30 feet in circumference! They are solid and strong. As you grow in Christ and your roots grow deeper in faith, you become like the cedar and palm trees. You stand tall in the face of storms because your upright, strong, and unmoved by the changing winds. While circumstances in life may come as a surprise and cause your ground to be shaken, when you’re deeply rooted in Christ, you’ll stand tall and unmovable in faith. Just like the palm trees and the cedars of Lebanon. Growing and being rooted in faith is a life-long spiritual journey. It’s not just for young people who seem to throw caution to the wind. As we age and grow older, the nourishment our roots absorbed over the years will continue to produce spiritual fruit. There’s much wisdom to be gained from those who have lived a life walking daily with God. When you're planted, you’re either growing or dying, but you’ll never stay the same. That’s because God is the Gardener. John 15:1 tells us that Christ is the Vine and the Father is our Gardener. Verse two reveals why we’ll never remain the same; because “He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit.” If you’re not growing or dying, you're dead. And any gardener knows that when a branch dies, it must be cut off at the trunk or else it will infect the whole tree. To be cut off is to be separated from God’s life-giving power. It doesn’t matter what size of tree you think you are; if you try to do things your way and not God’s, you're separating yourself from the One who gives you life. Don’t become so prideful in your roots that you neglect God’s life-giving water. A tree might look pretty on the outside, but still be hollow on the inside. But cutting off branches and pruning branches are two completely different things. Cutting off a branch has only one purpose, to completely separate it from the body. Pruning a branch serves two purposes. First, if a branch is dying, pruning can restore its health. Second, to prune a healthy branch makes it even better. God knows when we need pruning. He knows what areas of life need to be severed. He knows how to make those weak branches strong. He knows where any rot or disease may occur, and prunes us to grow stronger through the changing seasons. His discipline may confuse or hurt us. Nobody likes the pruning process, but the outcome strengthens our faith and makes us more fruitful. John 15:4 teaches us to remain rooted in God so we’ll produce more fruit. And the more spiritual fruit we produce, the greater our witness to Christ becomes. To become more fruitful and grow our roots deeper in Christ together, a shepherd must know their flock. I heard a joke a while back about a new pastor who was visiting the homes of his congregation. At one house he went to it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but nobody came as he knocked on the door. So he took out a business card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20' on the back of it and stuck it in the door. When the offering was processed at the next worship service, he found that his card had been returned, and added to it was the message, 'Genesis 3:10.' Reaching for his Bible to check out the verse, he exploded in laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Genesis 3:10 reads, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid for I was naked.” Now I know I’m your new pastor, but I hope I don’t meet some of you for the first time like that. Like that pastor, I do want to get to know all of you better. I’m here to serve you, to deepen your roots, and to grow together. But I also want to challenge you with some questions. As a church, where do you see Rocky Springs planted? Where might it need to be pruned? How can we deepen our roots and become stronger together in Christ? Remember, we are to not only grow together but to get out in God’s garden to plant seeds and help others grow. God instructs us as individual’s and as a church to grow more mature in Him. I urge you to come back next week because we’ll learn how we, as a church, can accomplish this task? Remember what you’re rooted in matters. Whatever you’re rooted in, your life will reveal. The funny thing about roots is you can’t see them. But the health and growth of the body ultimately reveals the stability of the root. There is room in God’s garden for everyone who confesses their sin. If you haven’t already, place your faith in Christ and grow in the life only He offers. If you’re a believer but feel you’re slowly falling from the weight of your branches pressing down upon life, ask the Master Gardener for the water and nourishment to remain strong in Him. God says, “Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). So confess your need for God, and grow in the strength and knowledge of our Savior. Amen.